Cause of garage fire investigated

Flames roared out the door of a small garage behind a Newton Avenue house in the Southcrest neighborhood of San Diego late Thursday night until firefighters got the blaze under control, officials said.

The fire was reported about 11:25 p.m. on Newton near South 40th Street.

Firefighters hauled hoses to the one-car garage, set in the back yard behind a wooden fence, and had most of the flames doused in less than 10 minutes, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department dispatcher said.

Damage to the building and all the property inside was estimated at $50,000. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.